Andrew Mitchell's expenses

Andrew Mitchell, the Conservative frontbencher in charge of party policy on
alleviating world poverty, claimed more than £21,000 for cleaning,
redecorating and furnishing his constituency home and garden.

The shadow international development secretary also spent hundreds of pounds of public money on an armchair, table, linen sheets, pillow cases and a duvet filled with goose down. Records show that early in 2004-05 Mr Mitchell asked the fees office to pay him £2,000 a month from his MPs’ additional costs allowance “until it is exhausted”.

He also claimed more than £9,000 for the garden.

He said: “The £2,000 monthly rate that I claim is less than the cost that I have incurred maintaining my second home and is less than the amount I would have been entitled to claim.” He added that the costs for gardening were purely for maintenance.